Association of Ramaytush Ohlone

What it reported doing in 2025

Introduction: Sovereignty and RestorationThe Ramaytush Ohlone (rah-my-toosh oh-lone-ee) are the original peoples of the San Francisco Peninsula and are represented by the Association of Ramaytush Ohlone (ARO). Spanish, Mexican, and American colonization of California displaced our ancestors from our homeland and resulted in the near complete genocide of our people and culture. Of the original approximately 2,000 Ramaytush Ohlone who occupied the San Francisco Peninsula prior to colonization, only one lineage is known to have survived. To the best of our knowledge, none of our members have lived in our ancestral homeland for about 150 years and none of members have held land in our ancestral homeland for over 250 years. Because our cultural and spiritual traditions require that we be in direct relationship with our ancestral lands, our return is necessary for us to become whole as a people and for the broadening and deepening of the exercise of our sovereignty. In this instance, sovereignty means more than self-governance. Sovereignty refers also to cultural continuanceto our ability to continue into the future as a culturally distinct group of people with a shared ancestry. As Native peoples our primary responsibilities are to care for the natural world and to care for the people who reside in our ancestral homeland. Because we lack the resources (human power, technical knowledge, etc.) to fulfill some of our responsibilities to care for the earth and to care for people, we partner with other like-minded organizations and agencies who are able to work in concert with Native peoples. All of this restorative workthe revitalization of our culture, the restoration of the earth, and our ability to care for marginalized peoples, especially other Indigenous peoplesrequires financial, legal, and human resources. The Association of Ramaytush Ohlone (ARO) is the vehicle for the restorative work that evolves out of our ancestral and cultural responsibilities. Our primary project areas include 1) rematriation (land acquisition); 2) the revitalization of our culture, language, and community; 3) research, consultation, and education; 4) ecological restoration; 5) community service, especially community farms and gardens for Indigenous and other disadvantaged communities; and 6) re-indigenization through art and culture. All of these efforts are enacted within our aboriginal tribal territory, which includes all of San Francisco and San Mateo Counties and the northwestern portion of Santa Clara County.Part I. Project Areas1. Land Rematriation: Rematriation, as opposed to repatriation, refers to the giving back the earth to our Earth Mother, or, more specifically, returning care for the earth back to the original caretakers who employ perspectives and traditional ecological knowledge in their caretaking of Mother Earth.The Ramaytush Ohlone Land Trust (ROLT) is the official land trust of the Ramaytush Ohlone peoples of the San Francisco Peninsula. The primary goal of the ROLT is to acquire lands or to gain access to lands or to co-manage lands within our ancestral homeland for the following purposes: 1) Stewardship: to restore the health of the land; 2) Service: to work with the land in service of others; and 3) Cultural Revitalization: to reanimate our traditions and ceremonies.The actual acquisition of lands "owned," leased, or accessed has been based on developing relationships with the legal owners of said lands, most of whom are agencies and organizations like the Public Utilities Commission, the San Francisco Department of Recreation and Parks, and the Peninsula Open Space Trust. Over the past two years, we have developed relationship with these various partners and our working on terms for acquisition, management, and access. With our land trust and land trust attorney now in place, we can move forward with these and other merging land trust projects, including cultural revitalization, ecological restoration, and community farms and gard

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
• Program expense ratio: 75.8%; rating input score 76
• Fundraising efficiency: $12.92 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Pass
  • Compensation survey or study: Missing
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: Limited
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 33.3%; rating input score 33; 19th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 4 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 44
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Fail
  • Document-retention policy: Fail
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Missing
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -34.5%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.17; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 73.2%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 40.7% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: -4.3% per year; rating input score 0; 10th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 13.2% per year; rating input score 100; 70th percentile among comparable filings